It was Ravi and Rinki's wedding anniversary...Their two kids Trishna and Khushi wished them in the morning with kisses and a cute hand made card with their love and feelings expressed in simple words . Ravi and Rinki were overjoyed with the card and it's expressions...hugged them and then sent them off to school. The kids returned home excitedly as they knew that like on every occassion ,they would have guests in the evening. Guests meant their friends accompanying their parents and for them that is all that mattered . So they finished off with their studies to be fully prepared for the blast in the evening . Rinki was busy in the kitchen ...she knew that all their friends were going to come ,to wish them and that they would have dinner to celebrate. This was the practice followed by the group of friends ,for each one of them . There was no inviting anybody....you just came.So Rinki was busy cooking for thirty odd people or so ...what fun it always was on such occassions. .....
Came the evening and the friends arrived one by one...some brought flowers , some cards some balloons and the house was filled with joy and merriment.
The kids got busy running,playing screaming and by the time dinner was over it was nearing midnight. The party was a hit as each one of such get togethers always is...for they are filled with warmth, care and joy ...home cooked food dripping with love and this group always had such gatherings to share all the special occassions together..Much to the reluctance of the children the parents had to leave for home...next day school ,office...Ravi and Rinki went down to see their friends off, asking Trishna and Khushi to stay back to change and go to bed as early as possible.
After seeing everyone off within half an hour or so tired Rinki and Ravi came up...they were thinking of the mess waiting at home to be tended to ...the table to be cleared off..it would be a good 30-40 minutes at least before they could go to bed....They entered their house and what did they get to see? They couldnt believe their eyes...The table was cleared...the room was set back to normal with cushions etc at their right places ...the left overs were properly transferred into containers and put inside the fridge....Trishna and Khushi stood beaming there...they came forward taking their parents hand led them to the bed and said,''go to sleep,mamma papa..you both must be so very tired.'' Their parents looked at each other with eyes filled with joy and love...their little girls were so thoughtful....They pulled the daughters close to them and kissing them said...''Thank you''The girls kissed them back wishing them once again set off to go ...Ten year old Khushi turned back and said ,''everyone brought you a gift ...we did not get you any ...because we couldnt think what to get for you..'' Ravi smiled and said,''you have given us the best gift that anyone could ever give...the gift of thoughtfulness'' Rinki added,''and your gift is matchless for it came out of love..we are blessed to have such beautiful girls...Good Night..''The two girls ran off to their bed leaving the parents looking at each other with a mixture of feelings...love..understanding ..contentment and gratitude....
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
A Beautiful Smile....
They say that the second best thing that one can do with their lips is to....SMILE. well no need to fight for the first ranking but indeed smiling is one of the best things that all of us can do....easily...effortlessly. But you look around and you may not find people subscribing to this view. Today morning only I stopped to look at a child in his pram and he smiled back at me...LO! my heart just did a somersault...what a beautiful smile it was ...pure...simple ...straight from the heart. And what an effect it had on me!It made me feel so good....
I moved on ...I was on my way to office and my mind was just filled with that smile . I wondered that why are people so miser in using this beautiful art...of smiling? I remembered a friend of mine ...any time and everytime I could remember her ,was her eversmiling face ...that too the simplest ...warmest smile that could ever exist . I recalled our friends also saying that this friend Pooja was one person who always would greet you with a warm hearted smile ..making you feel welcome,comfortable and nice. But not many practise this ...imagine children waking up to such a smile , leaving home with such a smile ...returning home to such a smile and going to bed with the same smile...it would do wonders in all aspects of his life. why only children the same would be true for adults as well,wont it?
It is a different feeling altogether when you are met with a clean , pure warm and straight from the heart smile....what ever mood you may be in, it immediately connects ...warms your heart and lifts up any form of spirits at any point of time...
I have observed people very closely ...returning from office , work, anywhere ...not a trace of smile on the face or at most some signs of a forced smile (which looks so painful)....you are meeting your people after so long ...the best and the easiest thing you can do is to give a nice warm smile ....costs nothing but why so difficult then?
I think it could be because everyone seems to be struggling in his /her life. This struggle probably snatches away the smile and gradually we forget to smile...it becomes an effort to smile or it is used on festive or special occassions ...like we wear good clothes and deck ourselves up ...then we also put up the smile....sad very sad indeed. !!!!!! As life is a struggle, all the more we need to nurture this wonderful art of smiling,for it would help us in our struggle. Smile is a stressbuster...brings in a feel good feeling...which in turn makes us motivated and eager to keep going in life. Smile ...a real one is the fastest way to connect hearts...it is unbelievable and surest way to reach out to people...smile is a reflection of one's heart ...above all a smile brings a serene satisfaction and warmth on the bearer himself so let us all try practising this easy and sure way of bonding....just by SMILING warmly.....
I moved on ...I was on my way to office and my mind was just filled with that smile . I wondered that why are people so miser in using this beautiful art...of smiling? I remembered a friend of mine ...any time and everytime I could remember her ,was her eversmiling face ...that too the simplest ...warmest smile that could ever exist . I recalled our friends also saying that this friend Pooja was one person who always would greet you with a warm hearted smile ..making you feel welcome,comfortable and nice. But not many practise this ...imagine children waking up to such a smile , leaving home with such a smile ...returning home to such a smile and going to bed with the same smile...it would do wonders in all aspects of his life. why only children the same would be true for adults as well,wont it?
It is a different feeling altogether when you are met with a clean , pure warm and straight from the heart smile....what ever mood you may be in, it immediately connects ...warms your heart and lifts up any form of spirits at any point of time...
I have observed people very closely ...returning from office , work, anywhere ...not a trace of smile on the face or at most some signs of a forced smile (which looks so painful)....you are meeting your people after so long ...the best and the easiest thing you can do is to give a nice warm smile ....costs nothing but why so difficult then?
I think it could be because everyone seems to be struggling in his /her life. This struggle probably snatches away the smile and gradually we forget to smile...it becomes an effort to smile or it is used on festive or special occassions ...like we wear good clothes and deck ourselves up ...then we also put up the smile....sad very sad indeed. !!!!!! As life is a struggle, all the more we need to nurture this wonderful art of smiling,for it would help us in our struggle. Smile is a stressbuster...brings in a feel good feeling...which in turn makes us motivated and eager to keep going in life. Smile ...a real one is the fastest way to connect hearts...it is unbelievable and surest way to reach out to people...smile is a reflection of one's heart ...above all a smile brings a serene satisfaction and warmth on the bearer himself so let us all try practising this easy and sure way of bonding....just by SMILING warmly.....
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Happy To Help....
There are some ads that spontaneously , bring a smile on my face. The Vodafone ads...each one of them is so beautiful and simple . Each one of them show the Pug always so eager to help it's master who in turn is shown to be completely expressionless. It could be to contrast the eagerness of the Pug or I wonder if the beauty lies in the representers...the Dog and the Child...I do not know if I d be very pessimist in reading UNCONDITIONAL LOVE through the Pug and the UNCARING BEHAVIOR of the child ,( showing human nature) for I believe that a child possesses many of the pure characters discarded by adults.
All these ads bring in such a feel good factor. We have been reading and learning also to always be helpful towards others ...but why are these things generally not practised? Helping others selflessly show that you think about others ,care for others and that brings so much of satisfaction in ones own self. Helping others strenghthens your personality ...It teaches to rise beyond oneself...overcome inhibitions ...understand others...get an insight into so many things which otherwise is never possible....it makes you want to be a do-er...it helps you widen your horizon.which otherwise remains so narrow and constricted....it bonds you to people and do we all not want to feel bonded?
This Pug is shown to do such varied things...fetching the ball, helping to get ready for school, running after the school bus to give the forgotten bag, and now the latest ones...helping by holding the pages of a bookand even guarding against the warden of the hostel...All of these are to show that how much the Pug LOVES to help it's master.....many of us do things for others but very few do them happily..and I think that makes the difference. When you do something for others for no other reason but that want to help ..only then the act is really pure and the results are optimum. For then you are not expecting anything in return or you are not doing to prove a point or something...you are doing only because you want to do it and this always reaches to the person you are doing it for. What I see is lots of people do things but most of them do them for so many reasons...compulsion...confusion..anger etc. and hence these actions rarely bring the satisfaction that it is supposed to bring ...both to the person who is doing or for whom it is being done...efforts when do not bring satisfaction exhaust us...where as anything done by choice ...willingly and happily yields a different result altogether...exhausion is less for it is substituted by satisfaction...hence the productivity is much higher.
We must try to think , ponder over the timeless things that we are taught in various ways..make our choices and try to make our life more meaningful than the previous day ...and putting others before me is one of the best ways to achieve that....we will always have the glow of satisfaction on our faces that can not be brought by any other way....we will then be happy and spread happiness too...I d always prefer to be the Pug than the Child of the Vodafone ads......
All these ads bring in such a feel good factor. We have been reading and learning also to always be helpful towards others ...but why are these things generally not practised? Helping others selflessly show that you think about others ,care for others and that brings so much of satisfaction in ones own self. Helping others strenghthens your personality ...It teaches to rise beyond oneself...overcome inhibitions ...understand others...get an insight into so many things which otherwise is never possible....it makes you want to be a do-er...it helps you widen your horizon.which otherwise remains so narrow and constricted....it bonds you to people and do we all not want to feel bonded?
This Pug is shown to do such varied things...fetching the ball, helping to get ready for school, running after the school bus to give the forgotten bag, and now the latest ones...helping by holding the pages of a bookand even guarding against the warden of the hostel...All of these are to show that how much the Pug LOVES to help it's master.....many of us do things for others but very few do them happily..and I think that makes the difference. When you do something for others for no other reason but that want to help ..only then the act is really pure and the results are optimum. For then you are not expecting anything in return or you are not doing to prove a point or something...you are doing only because you want to do it and this always reaches to the person you are doing it for. What I see is lots of people do things but most of them do them for so many reasons...compulsion...confusion..anger etc. and hence these actions rarely bring the satisfaction that it is supposed to bring ...both to the person who is doing or for whom it is being done...efforts when do not bring satisfaction exhaust us...where as anything done by choice ...willingly and happily yields a different result altogether...exhausion is less for it is substituted by satisfaction...hence the productivity is much higher.
We must try to think , ponder over the timeless things that we are taught in various ways..make our choices and try to make our life more meaningful than the previous day ...and putting others before me is one of the best ways to achieve that....we will always have the glow of satisfaction on our faces that can not be brought by any other way....we will then be happy and spread happiness too...I d always prefer to be the Pug than the Child of the Vodafone ads......
Monday, July 13, 2009
Better To ASK Than...
Smriti and Sonia were on the phone ,as usual after dinner , talking about their mother. Their mother was with Sneha right now,on one of her regular visits. She had taken ill so had to extend her stay.She had suddenly developed a nasty cough,which persisted quiet stubbornly for a long period of time. Both the sisters were working women so they would get time to talk only this late. Sneha was a bit annoyed and she was complaining about their mom to her younger sister,Smriti. ''Mom is really getting so difficult ...she just refuses to co-operate.'' Smriti was shocked. Not because Sneha was complaining, for both the sisters loved each other and shared a beautiful relationship of trust and understanding, but at her complaint. Mom not co-operating? well things do happen and old age is so very unpredictable...thought Smriti. ''What is it Didi, you are really disturbed about something?''She asked gently.''Yes I can not understand mom...I try to look after her in the best of my capabilities but she just wont do what she is asked to...she is behaving like a child?''burst out Sneha...''yes ofcourse Didi ...you are looking after her so well ...mom keeps talking about your thoughtfulness and in fact she keeps getting so emotional about jiju and Rohit too for what they are doing ...so what is it that is irritating you?''
''you know ,I had got her woollen stockings some two weeks back so that she feels better in this cold ,but yesterday when I was cleaning her cupboard I found them lying ....unopened...why couldnt she wear them? And because of all this carelessness she is unable to get rid of her cough...does she not realise how difficult it is for me to manage everything?''
Smriti had nothing to say to this ...she tried to pep up her sister and then they both called up for the day . After a week Smriti had to go to Sneha's town on work so after talking to her about it ,brought their mother back with her . Their mother kept talking about how caring and loving Sneha was and she kept telling that how lucky she was to have such wonderful daughters..
Mother settled down at her younger daughter's place and one day when Smriti was taking out her mother's woollens to wash she saw the pair of stockings...clipped and unused. She remembered the conversation and casually asked her mother...''are these your stockings mom?'' ''Yes beta ...they are mine . Sneha had bought them for me...this girl really thinks so much about me all the time...''said her mother. ''But I see they are unused,mom?''
Smriti was taken aback to see that fleeting shadow of shame on her face...''Smriti this old age is a curse..as you know I have lost my bladder control to quite an extent...and out there the wash rooms are so neat and rugged that I was scared that I may not be able to control myself for the time it would take to pull my stockings down ...so I thought it better not to use it ...''
Smriti had tears in her eyes...to feel her mom's embaressment ..her helplessness...could she have have guessed unless her mom told her? Never ...and her own daughter ...even she had misunderstood her and had a grudge against her ....labelling her as unco-operative....Smriti went and hugged her mother.
How easy it is for all of us to judge people ....we do that by our own parameters ...It would be so much better if we accept the fact that we do not have the capability to presume correctly ...It is so much easier to ASK what we dont understand .This could save a lot of misunderstandings and heartburns for each one of us ....
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